One of the hardest things about losing weight is finding foods that are nutritious, tasty and low fat and so the ideal way to ensure that food is varied as well as nutritious is to create your own healthy eating plan. This is not difficult to do providing you are able to plan ahead. If your lifestyle borders on erratic and unorganized, then rethinking your association with food on the run is vital. Developing a positive mindset is important when you start any healthy eating plan; this is simply because making changes to your current eating habits can be difficult but instead of seeing it as a negative process or as a necessary evil, think of your healthy eating plan as a challenge and one where you will succeed.
Learning all about the nutritional values of food needn't be a chore because the more that you can comprehend what those food sources will do for you individually; this will help you to develop a healthy relationship with food. When you create your healthy eating plan, you also change your connection with food entirely and this means avoiding issues such as comfort eating. Creating your own healthy eating plan will pay dividends in the long run and offers many benefits in the process.
Some of the benefits of creating your own plan include:
· Fresh, nutritious food suited to your individual requirements
· Helps you to plan ahead so you buy only the food that is necessary saving you money on your weekly shop
· Frees up time during the week so that you can relax with family or do the things that you want to do.
· Preparing food ahead also helps to stop you from snacking in between meals.
· Learning to enjoy food. Mealtimes should be an occasion and one to be shared with family and friends. Too often mealtimes are rushed.
If you seriously wish to lose weight then it is imperative that you change your current eating habits. It can help to keep a food journal for a while so that you can start seeing any recurring eating patterns and if negative patterns do start to emerge, then they need to be addressed and eliminated. Stress or problems in general could make you waiver on your diet forcing you to comfort eat, if you feel that this could happen you need to create an alternative way in which to deal with those negative situations.
Once you understand how to make a diet work for you then it will no longer be an uphill struggle. Learn to work with your individual needs but just keep the focus on reaching your goal weight so then you will be much more likely to stick with your healthy eating plan.
Kevin Graham serves as the Managing Director at Empower Me Photo. Empower Me Photo provides tools to help those seeking to stay on their diet or exercise program over the long run - by showing how you are going to look AFTER you lose the weight.
You will be amazed at how you are going to look - and your empowering photo can be in your hand as quickly as tomorrow. And you will be inspired, motivated, and yes, EMPOWERED, to stay on your program over the long run.
You are welcome to download our free 7 Secrets to Visualize Your Future using the world's best weight loss tool.
Our Weight Loss Success Stories are impressive.
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Healthy Eating Means Cutting the Fat
Your road to a healthier New Year travels right through your stomach. Achieving the proper caloric intake will help you lose weight and then assist you in keeping it off.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends a diet of about 2000 calories a day for the average American; their dietary guidelines are reviewed and updated every five years.
The latest dietary guidelines from the USDA contain tips for weight management. It says, "To maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended. To prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in calories and increase physical activity." It also recommends that you consume a "variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages while limiting the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt and alcohol."
The USDA report gives suggestions for the types of nutrient rich foods you should be eating: two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables each day. It advises that you limit total fat intake to between 20 and 35% of the total calories that you consume; when selecting meat always chose the leanest cut. Alcohol beverages should be limited to one drink per day for women and two for men.
A healthy diet needs to be balanced with increased physical activity to achieve the maximum benefits according to the USDA. The report recommends at least 30 minutes of moderately paced physical activity per day to maintain a proper weight and up to 60 minutes if you are trying to lose weight. The more hours that you spend exercising the more fat that you will burn.
To lose one pound per week you must either reduce your caloric intake by 3500 or you must burn that many calories exercising. The USDA recommends a balanced approach to shed the pounds; reducing your caloric intake by 250 calories each day and exercising for a half hour will give you the net daily gain necessary to reach that goal. If you stick to it for an entire year, you will end up losing over 50 pounds.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends a diet of about 2000 calories a day for the average American; their dietary guidelines are reviewed and updated every five years.
The latest dietary guidelines from the USDA contain tips for weight management. It says, "To maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended. To prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in calories and increase physical activity." It also recommends that you consume a "variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages while limiting the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt and alcohol."
The USDA report gives suggestions for the types of nutrient rich foods you should be eating: two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables each day. It advises that you limit total fat intake to between 20 and 35% of the total calories that you consume; when selecting meat always chose the leanest cut. Alcohol beverages should be limited to one drink per day for women and two for men.
A healthy diet needs to be balanced with increased physical activity to achieve the maximum benefits according to the USDA. The report recommends at least 30 minutes of moderately paced physical activity per day to maintain a proper weight and up to 60 minutes if you are trying to lose weight. The more hours that you spend exercising the more fat that you will burn.
To lose one pound per week you must either reduce your caloric intake by 3500 or you must burn that many calories exercising. The USDA recommends a balanced approach to shed the pounds; reducing your caloric intake by 250 calories each day and exercising for a half hour will give you the net daily gain necessary to reach that goal. If you stick to it for an entire year, you will end up losing over 50 pounds.
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